Government’s new housing targets: The reaction
In her first speech as Chancellor, Rachel Reeves has revealed the new governments plans to deliver more homes across the UK.
Rachel Reeves has been named as the first ever female chancellor, following Labour’s landslide win on Friday. However, it seems Reeves won’t have much time to celebrate the achievement as she has been tasked with addressing perhaps the biggest issue our country is facing – housing.
Taking to the podium in Parliament today, Reeves promised her government will deliver 1.5 million homes over the next five years.
Within the speech, Reeves also outlined a number of other housing goals which include:
- Restore mandatory housebuilding targets
- End the onshore wind farm ban
- Create a new task force to accelerate stalled housing sites
- Support local authorities with 300 additional planning officers across the country
- Review planning applications previously turned down that could help the economy
- Prioritise brownfield and greybelt land for development to meet housing targets when needed
- Set out new plans for new policy intentions for infrastructure in coming months
- Reform infrastructure to deliver planning the country needs
Although the plans discussed appear promising, various housing experts have gathered to discuss the pledges in greater detail.
Scott Black, Chief Operating Officer for Places for People: ‘Today’s statement from the Chancellor has our unequivocal support, we need more new homes and there is no time to waste. This is one of the most pressing issues for the UK, for economic growth, for families across the UK, and for us all at Place for People, whose mission is to build, help, and support communities across the UK.
‘The measures Rachel Reeves has announced today are a positive first step for housing of all tenures including much-needed new affordable homes. As well as bringing forward the delivery of new homes, our own ‘Time to Build’ research illustrated that approximately three-quarters of people also want greater investment in local infrastructure to support new housebuilding, which must not be forgotten.
‘Building must be scaled up now and we are ready to do our part to help. On top of mandatory housebuilding targets and a taskforce to accelerate stalled housing sites, we think more can be done to get Britain building again.
‘If we are to maximise investment into the sector and tackle the current housing crisis for those most in need, we need certainty and more specifically, confirmation on rent at CPI plus 1% while the financial settlement between government and housing associations is reviewed. This would provide housing associations nationwide with the stability to invest in the homes they own and to accelerate building new homes.’
Mitchell Pollington, Director of Historic Environment at Lanpro: ‘The lifting of the de-facto ban on onshore windfarm developments in England, and the desire to bring these under the NSIP regime, is a hugely welcome sign of the new government’s aim to massively accelerate the country’s transition to renewable energy. It has been estimated that this could boost the economy by £45bn and create around 27,000 jobs- and archaeology and heritage will again play a central role in environmental decision-making to enable these new schemes.
‘Since 2015, there has been an effective moratorium on the construction of new onshore windfarms, due to the introduction of footnotes to the NPPF, which required proof that there would be no local opposition of any type to such schemes – which, of course, there always will be at some level.
‘Prior to this, I was proud to work on the heritage and archaeological elements of numerous wind farm applications throughout the noughties – in both England and Scotland – working with passionate environmental consultants and developers who rightly saw that onshore wind was a vital part of our need for mixed renewable energy provision.
‘Archaeological assessment not only helps mitigate any impacts from wind farm developments, but also provides an opportunity for communities to gain a greater understanding of their surrounding historic landscapes, and the archaeological remains which lie within these. With appropriate initial assessment and survey, the layout of windfarms can easily be designed to avoid any significant impacts on archaeology, and rapid, non-intrusive archaeological survey methods, such as established geophysical survey techniques, and more recently adopted techniques such as multi-spectral imaging, can identify features without the need to necessarily dig up – and destroy – buried remains. The use of such methods will help speed up the delivery, and reduce the costs, of such projects and it’s important that archaeology is seen as a facilitator of these nationally vital developments, and not as an unnecessary delaying factor.
‘Bringing onshore wind back into the energy mix in England, is therefore vital to support the country’s move towards clean energy, but also provides great opportunities to further our understanding of our shared archaeological resource.’
Daniel Austin, CEO and co-founder at ASK Partners: ‘Housing stands as a pivotal issue in the election fray, given its correlation with economic stability. Recent upticks in house prices and mortgage approvals hint at recovery, yet the persistent housing shortage threatens prolonged recession. The UK faces a crisis of affordability due to insufficient homes for rent and sale, negatively impacting GDP. Decades of social strain persist with little resolution in sight.
‘We urge the implementation of a radical yet credible long-term plan to assuage market concerns. Their proposed target of 300,000 homes annually echoes longstanding government aspirations unmet since 2004. Four primary factors underpin this crisis: over-reliance on major housebuilders, politicised planning discouraging development, net loss of social housing, and post-Brexit labour shortages. Addressing these roots is imperative to alleviate the affordability crisis. Reinvigorating SME housebuilders is pivotal. Incentives should facilitate access to opportunities, including allocating small land plots for development and streamlining planning permissions for brownfield sites. Boosting skilled labour domestically and reforming the planning system are equally crucial. Independent decision-making and private sector assistance can expedite approvals and reduce costs. Prioritising social housing and incentivising brownfield developments are essential steps toward sustainable growth. Lenders must offer flexible financing to smaller developers. Despite potential temporary unpopularity, a steadfast commitment to a pro-growth agenda is necessary.’
Colin Brown, Head of Planning and Development at Carter Jonas: ‘The change in tone and narrative from the new Labour government is both welcome and refreshing. However, it is early days for the administration, and we will need to see a lot more detail on how they intend to implement these changes so that delivery is realised on the ground. The scale of the challenge is huge – to achieve 1.5m new homes in the new parliament will involve rates of housebuilding not seen for decades and one cannot simply “turn the tap on” and expect houses to magically appear. The government will need to pull multiple levers and act decisively to secure real transformative change. Central to this will be to grapple with the thorny issue of development in Green Belt locations and to also address the undoubted skills and labour shortages which have the potential to derail their programme.’
Lawrence Turner, Director of Boyer: ‘In her first speech as Chancellor, Rachel Reeves made it clear that kick-starting economic growth through planning is a top priority for the government. The emphasis on building 1.5 million new homes and accelerating stalled housing sites provides a welcome commitment to addressing the Housing Crisis. In addition, the government’s new taskforce created to tackle this issue shows a proactive approach to getting things done.
One of the key announcements made by the Chancellor was the promise of funding for 300 additional planning officers to support the planning system. While we support this, even greater investment is needed in local planning authorities, which is crucial to ensure the necessary resources are in place to deliver on the government’s housing targets. Additionally, the commitment to direct intervention by ministers in planning decisions provides a strong signal to local authorities that the benefits of development will be important material considerations in the determination of development proposals. This will be a key short-term measure to drive development forward. The recovery of planning appeals in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire this weekend showcases the government’s willingness to step in when necessary to push through important projects.
The Chancellor’s directive for the Secretary of State to communicate with local mayors and the Office for Investment highlights the importance of co-ordination and collaboration in achieving successful planning outcomes. This is welcomed and will help ensure that investment opportunities tied to planning decisions are brought to the attention of key decision-makers – and a proactive stance is taken in promoting economic growth.
The decision to end the ban on onshore wind and consult on bringing it back into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) regime is a positive step towards promoting renewable energy development. We support the Government’s national approach to decisions on onshore wind projects, to streamline the planning process, and encourage investment in sustainable energy sources.
The Chancellor’s reaffirmation of the need for Green Belt release, mandatory housing targets, and investment in local planning authorities addresses long-standing concerns within the industry. These measures have been widely advocated for as key steps in addressing the Housing Crisis and promoting sustainable development. The Government’s commitment to making swift changes to NPPF is a positive sign of this future progress.
However, the real challenge lies in implementing these changes at the local planning authority level. While directives from the government and interventions by the Secretary of State can help guide decision-making, the success of these initiatives will ultimately depend on effective co-ordination and co-operation at the local level. Councils will play a crucial role in translating national priorities into on-the-ground actions that deliver tangible results.
Images: Peter Kostov and Maximillian Conacher
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